Certain livestock containment fences can be problematic with respect to the safety of any animals which might come in close contact with the fence, especially horses. Livestock will sometimes be crowded into a fence by other animals; they sometimes come into contact as they pace along a fence line; they sometimes are chased into a fence or otherwise run into a fence.
One of the most economical types of fence incorporates steel fence posts with a xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d cross section and strands of wire or other material spanning the posts. Alternatives to barbed wire lessens the likelihood that the animals will be injured by the wire, but the steel fence posts are still a potential source of injury.
Steel fence posts are usually manufactured by extrusion or rolling and then sheared to length. The shearing process almost always leaves a sharp edge or burr on the top of the post. This sharp edge is the source of many steel fence post induced injuries. Injuries range from small scratches or cuts to deep lacerations to impalement. Sometimes the injuries result in lessened utility, either temporarily or permanently, and at times total loss due to the death of the animal.
Common injuries include lacerations around the head and neck as the animal paces along the length of the fence, sometimes with its head hanging over the fence. More serious injuries often result from the animal running into and over the fence, causing the post to bend. As the animal passes over the post, the sharp end of the post lacerates the under side of the animal. At times the animal may stop before continuing completely over the fence and then attempt to back up. The bent post could then impale the animal. Another mode of injury occurs when a horse rears over and falls onto a post which may cause serious laceration or impalement.
Existing art intended to protect livestock from injury from steel fence posts are problematic in two general areas: The design is inherently costly to produce, especially when the large number of posts in most livestock operations is considered. Existing art is also prone to being pushed off the end of the post when an animal runs into and bends over the post; the sharp end of the post is then left exposed.
Other devices applied to the end of steel fence posts are not designed to protect livestock. They are not sufficiently soft or blunt enough to provide protection in a broad range of scenarios.
The invention comprises a protective cover, or cap, for the top of metal fence posts. The cap has a T-shaped cross section approximating that of the cross section of the fence post. The cap is comprised of flexible plastic, and is pliable for ease in sliding over the top of the fence post. Because the cap has a T-shape cross-section similar to the fence post, it will maintain a snug fit on the top of the post. A channel is featured on the front side of the cap to accommodate the stud-like protrusions on the front of the fence post upon which the wire strands of the fence are supported. The channel is open at the bottom of the cap to allow it to easily slide over the top of the post without obstruction from the post protrusions. The sides of the cap have a tapered thickness, being thicker at the top of the cap and thinner at the bottom. This feature provides advantages in that the increased thickness at the top of the cap provides significant protection from the relatively sharp edges of the top of the post, while the decreased thickness at the bottom presents less of an edge for an animal""s body to catch to dislodge the cap from the post. The cap""s design and material composition makes it easy to install and remove, and is relatively cheap, which makes it cost effective to place the caps on each post along a fence line. If the cap becomes worn or damaged, it is readily replaceable.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a safety cap for a metal fence post that is capable of providing protection against injury to the animal from the sharp edges of the post. It is also an object of the invention to provide a safety cap which is easy to install on and remove from a fence post. It is still further an object of the invention to provide a safety cap that is economical in both structure and material to make maintenance of an entire fence line with the safety caps cost effective.
These and other object of the present invention are realized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, described by way of example and not by way of limitation. Additional object, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following more detailed description and drawings in which like elements of the invention are similarly numbered throughout.